Live vs Laboratory:
Research shows conclusively what players do biomechanically in a laboratory or practice setting often doesn’t resemble what happens during live competition. It’s simply impossible to simulate the activities when the game speeds up and the player’s blood is pumping.

In addition, with ballistic activities such as hitting and pitching, markers used in simulations often shift during rotation, resulting in inaccurate joint center data.

Advantages of the lab or automated digitizing:

While both systems will certainly collect data, the automated system used in the laboratory has a great advantage in the time it takes to retrieve the results.

Other than the time factor, however, all other advantages weigh in favor of the manual digitizing from live competition.

Advantages of live competition or manual digitizing:

It’s been said there’s not a scientist in the world who will argue against the fundamental truth that the only way to truly find out what the athlete is doing biomechanically is to capture his motion during live competition.

It’s only possible to evaluate players when it’s captured during live competition. You can’t call a time out and connect the markers to the player before he hits or pitches.

It’s only possible to compare a player when he is performing well, verses when he is struggling by capturing his swing or delivery during live competition, and then superimpose those images over the top of each other to compare the differences.

It’s only possible to determine the “most important” “time” “or timing of the activity” through the calibrated pitcher / hitter interface view.

Coaches and players like to view the high speed video as a part of the analysis.

Most importantly: The RESEARCH, We need to know what good hitters and healthy successful pitchers do biomechanically during live competition. Not in the batting cage or bullpen.